Signaling apparatus.



P.. JAGOBL SIGNALING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED-mm; 21. 1902. no momm. 2 sinus-sum 1.

PATBNTED MAY 5, 1903.

PATENTED MAY 5, 1903;

P. JAGOBI. SIGNALING APPARATUS. APPLICATION ITILIED JULY 21, 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

no MODEL.

no. WASHINGTON n c Patented May 5, 1903.

PATENT GFFICE.

PETER JACOBI, OF BAD MANHEIM, GERMANY.

SIGNALING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 726,933, dated Ma 5 1903. Application filed July 21, 1902. Serial No. 116,444- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PETER JAOOBI, a subject of the German Emperor, residing at Bad Manheim, in the Empire of Germany, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Signaling Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention is devised to prevent railway collisions, and is equally applicable in whatever way the trains approach one another and whether the locomotive is traveling backward or forward.

The principal feature of the invention consists in novel mechanism whereby gon gs upon the locomotive are sounded in such a way hat the number of strokes indicate various signalssuch as stop, or way clear, and the like-said mechanism being controllable by and with the ordinary visual signaling apparatus.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view, and Fig. 2 a face view, of the gong-striking devices. Fig. 3 is a side view of the lever system, the levers being in upright position. Fig. 4 is a front view of the same, and Fig. 5 showsa system of six levers.

On both sides of the locomotive-cab and the guards van are arranged gongs in a suitable position at the height of the ear. In place of the clapper is a stiff metal spring t', one end of which is coiled around a bolt h and is attached thereto, while the other end carries a pin Z. The gongs can be connected together by cross-rods below their lever ends or in some such manner. The upright portion of the spring 11 rests against two pins m and m of a two-armed lever 0, pivoted at n, which lever carries at its lower end a horizontal cross-piece 19. By reason of the lever 0 being provided with the two pins m and m on both sides of the fulcrum n the lever can be rocked either to the right or to the left, (see Fig. 1,) and each time, owing to the resiliency of the spring 7 the gong is would be sounded. This is especially important for the gongs on the locomotive, which changes its position on the train and can go either forward or backward.

The gong-signal-actuating apparatus comprises a series of levers which are placed in the case of a single track on one of the outer sides of the rails, and in the case of a double track on the outer side of the right-hand rail. To prevent one train colliding with another from behind, the following is the arrangement employed:

From one sleeper to, perhaps, the neighboring one stretches an angle-iron a, which is screwed to both sleepers, so that its side which is toward the outside of the rail 1) is distant therefromaboutsixcentimeters. Thisangleiron at forms a bracket for a lever system A, consisting of three levers, the first of which, 0, has anadditional arm 0 upon its upper arm, while the other two, 01 d, are two-armed in the ordinary sense of the word. All three can simultaneously be turned upon the pivots e in the bracket a if the wire which connects their lower ends is pulled. This lever arrangement is placed at a short distance in front of an advance, principal, block, and starting signal, which are connected with the apparatus for actuating the switches.

When a locomotive passes, with its train, over the system A, should the usual signal not be seen or should it be passed unnoticed on account of mist or fog then the attendants on the locomotive will be informed of the condition of the section in the following manner: If the section is occupied, all the three levers c d d are vertical, and the gongs will therefore be three times sounded, which signifies stop. This signal will be heard by the drivers and stoker. If, on the other hand, the section is clear,the levers will be depressed by pulling the wire f, which is of course in connection with the signaling apparatus, so that the levers will assume the dotted position of Fig. 3. In this case the finger o of the fork-lever 0 takes a vertical position, and the gongs of the advancing train are therefore sounded once, which signifies clear way. If 'thetrain gets the signal stop, it advances slowly as far as the principal or block signal,where a lover a", such as is used for altering the points, is thrown over under the control of the driver, which independently of any further signaling apparatus actuates a draw-wire g, which works a system B of six levers of the same form as the levers din the system A at a distance of five hundred to one thousand meters away, so that they move from the oblique to the vertical position. The drawing apparatus consists of an endless wire which runs over rollers g and in one place is provided with a connection for the under arms of the six levers. It is also possible to actuate the system B by means of the wire q independently of the leverr every hundred meters or so. If, however, the levers of the system are vertical, the train following the one which is stopped receives six strokes of the gong, which signifies great danger ahead, so that in any case the driver will not dare to go farther than the signal in front or slowly up to the stopped train. This arrangement is of especial value if the first train is stopped owing to a defect in its engine or the like and is compelled to remain 011 the track, and this cannot be intimated to the station through which the following train runs in the same direction. Such an accident renders necessary the blocking of the whole section with apparatus of the last-described kind B, which are, however, all independent of one another.

For the second instance, the prevention of the collision of the two trains approaching one another, the arrangement is as follows: The lever arrangement is connected with the starting-signal at the station by means of a wire rope, the tension of which can be adjusted, and the wire rope runs over rollers at a distance of a few centimeters above the level of the ground or where there is traffic across the road in a tube below the surface of the ground (also the whole wire rope can be put under ground) around about the entry and exit lines of a terminus. The arrangement of wire rope is naturally doubled at stations through which the train runs. So long as no train enters or leaves the station the lovers remain down. If, however, a train leaves, then simultaneously with the starting-signal the levers (which in this case are formed without the fork c) on all the tracks which load onto the track of the out going train are raised into the vertical position from the signal-box by means of the wire rope, while on the principal track the lever system A, which has the fork and which is naturally in connection with the startingsignal, is correspondingly set. When shunting, if one train should be running into another on its side the train which is being shunted receives the signal stop bya triple stroke upon the gong, which is heard as soon as the outgoing train leaves the station. Good care must also be taken in the station that a train only enters upon that track upon which it must travel.

The means for actuating the levers are the same as usual.

\Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-- 4 1. In a railway-train signaling apparatus, the combination of a connected adjustable series of parallel contact-levers beside the track, a lever upon the train adapted to successively engage the contact-levers when the latter are in a vertical position, and audible mechanism on the train actuated by said train-lever.

2. In an apparatus for preventing collisions on railways, the combination of a vibrating lever on the train or engine, having one end depending near the track, a spring beside the upper end of said lever adapted to be vibrated thereby, and a gong adapted to be sounded by said spring; with a series of parallel adjustable contact levers beside the track adapted in one position to successively engage the lower end of said vibrating lever as it moves therepast.

3. The combination of a gong, a springhammer therefor, and a two-armed lever actuating the spring-hammer; with two pins upon said lever, one above and one below the pivot thereof and directly bearing upon the springhammer and adapted to vibrate the hammer when the lever is oscillated, substantially as described.

4. In an apparatus for preventing collisions on railways, the combination of a vibrating lever on the train or engine, having one end depending near the track, a spring beside the upper end of said lever, a hammer on said spring and a gong adapted to be sounded by said hammer when the spring is vibrated; with a series of parallel adjustable levers beside the track adapted to successively engage and actuate the train-lever as it moves therepast.

5. In an apparatus for preventing collisions on railways the combination of a gong, and an actuating-lever therefor arranged on the train, so that the number of strokes on the gong indicates the condition of the section of the line; with a plurality of adjustable twoarmed levers, pivoted beside the rail, and a connection between the lower arms of said levers whereby they may be brought to a vertical or oblique position, the upper arms of said levers successively engaging the actuating-lever when the former are in a vertical position, substantially as described.

6. In an apparatus for preventingcollisions on railways, the combination of a vibrating lever, on the train or engine, having one end depending near the track, a spring beside the upper end of said lever and a gong adapted to be sounded by said spring; with a series of adj ustable levers beside the track adapted to engage and actuate the train-lever as it moves therepast, one of said levers being forked so that when the series of levers are depressed one fork of said lever remains in position to engage the moving lever and sound the gong.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

PETER JACOBI.

Witnesses:

BERNHARD KAISER, JEAN GRUND.

IIO

It is hereby certified that the residence of the patentee in Letters Patent No. 726,983, granted May 5, 1903, upon the application of Peter Jacobi, for an improvement in Signaling Apparatus, was erroneously written and printed Bad Manheim, Germany, whereas said residence should have been written and printed Bad Nanhetm, Germany; and that the said Letters Patent should he read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Otfice.

Signed and sealed this 28th day of July, A. D., 1903.

[SEALl E. B. MOORE,

Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

